GARDNER – Mount Wachusett Community College President James Vander Hooven, Gardner Public Schools Superintendent Mark Pellegrino, and Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday, Feb. 11 establishing a partnership between the college and district for the college’s Gateway to College and Pathways Early College Innovation School dual enrollment programs.

The agreement will go into effect for the 2019 to 2020 school year. This will be a planning year between the college and the district to determine the exact structure of the dual enrollment programs. Students graduating in May of 2019 from either program will receive their high school diplomas from Ralph C. Mahar Public Schools, which was the previous district partner for both programs. In coming years, student’s high school degree will be from Gardner Public Schools.

This agreement will reinforce to students in the Gardner school system that college is an option. With time, middle school students will know that college classes through dual enrollment, and beyond, are within their reach because of this agreement.

“I view this as being aspirational… it’s going to keep a focus on having college be an opportunity,” said President Vander Hooven. “Over time, I believe you really are going to see significantly higher levels of students going on to college, whether it be at Mount Wachusett Community College or anywhere else in the state. This is a great opportunity for us to work with the schools here.”

The partnership marks a deepening of an already strong relationship between the college and school district, said Pellegrino at the signing Monday, explaining that about 50 percent of Gardner’s high school graduates attend MWCC. The college is a great resource for the district, as well as the students, he said, and this agreement only solidifies that further.

“To offer these programs to students while they are still in high school is a great way for kids to get a head start and it’s also a cost-saving measure for families who can save thousands on college tuition by participating in this program,” said Pellegrino who explained students will benefit from robust dual enrollment options. “It is what the state is looking for. It is what our students are looking for and what our parents are looking for. I think it’s the right thing to do… it’s a great program that is preparing students for their future.”

Both of the programs provide significant college experience as students earn their high school degree. Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke, said he was pleased to see connections between his high school and college alma mater expand.

“This is what we do in the city of Gardner every day, make sure we are able to meet our educational goals, whether it be at the elementary school and high school or at continuing education at the community college level,” said Hawke. “This is going to be a great thing for the City of Gardner and the Gardner Public School System.”

The planning process for the Gateway and Pathways dual enrollment programs will take place in the coming year.

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FITCHBURG, Ma., Feb. 5, 2018 – Workers Credit Union has presented $29,150 to the Worcester County Food Bank raised in its fall and holiday fundraising campaign held from November through Dec. 31, 2018. The credit union pledged the Worcester County Food Bank $5 for every new member or account and for every download of its mobile app. Workers Credit Union leaders and staff toured the Worcester County Food Bank and surprised the nonprofit with the donation on Wednesday.

“The response to this new fundraising campaign was tremendous and nearly tripled our original goal,” said Doug Petersen, president and CEO of Workers Credit Union. “The ease of the automatic giving just for joining or downloading the app helped us far exceed our original fundraising goal.”

The donation represents more than 4,100 new members and accounts and almost 1,700 downloads of the credit union’s app. The campaign was simple – new members joined the credit union for the standard $5 membership fee and the credit union earmarked the donation to the Food Bank. The donation was automatic and applied to any member, new or existing, and all those who downloaded the credit union’s mobile app during the campaign period. Workers had originally hoped to raise $10,000 for the food bank.

Workers Credit Union’s donation will help the Worcester Food Bank distribute more than $115,000 of donated food to our community.

“This campaign has raised money and awareness,” said Worcester County Food Bank Executive Director Jean G. McMurray. “The generosity is a beautiful show of support for neighbors struggling with hunger and throughout Worcester County. These funds are used to help us achieve a hunger-free community.”

Workers Credit Union has been a long-time supporter local food banks and hunger-fighting programs. In addition to this campaign, Workers and its members donated $11,299 to the Worcester County Food Bank in September 2018 as part of its annual GiveBack program. In October 2018 Workers Credit Union donated $3,000 to the Gardner Community Action Committee (CAC) to help fight hunger in the greater Gardner area. 

Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB)) is the region’s leading anti-hunger organization, distributing enough food annually for 5.4 million meals in collaboration with food donors, financial supporters, and volunteers. WCFB provides donated food to a network of 118 Partner Agencies that have food assistance programs, including food pantries, community meal sites, and shelters. This past year, WCFB and its Partner Agencies served 81,000 people in the community. WCFB also advocates within the community and at the state and federal levels for systemic and sustainable solutions to the problem of hunger. WCFB’s mission is to engage, educate, and lead Worcester County in creating a hunger-free community. 94 percent of all donated resources go directly towards creating a hunger-free community. See: www.foodbank.org.

Workers Credit Union, home of the $3.3 million GiveBack program, is headquartered in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. With assets of $1.7 billion, the credit union serves over 102,000 members from 16 offices in Athol, Chelmsford, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Orange, Townsend, Westford and Workers Online at www.workerscu.com. 

Parents, teachers and community members here and across the country are standing up to state legislative efforts targeting transgender people on February 28, 2019 from 6-7:30 PM with readings of  I Am Jazz, a book by transgender teen and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation Youth Ambassador Jazz Jennings.

The book reading, held at and sponsored by the Fitchburg Public Library will be held from 6-7:30 PM on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 in the Garden Room.  We will begin with a Community Read of I AM JAZZ, a book co-written by Jazz Jennings about her experiences as a transgender girl.  From 6:30 to 7:30 – Renee Manning, a trans activist and educator will present: Transgender 101: Everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask!  This is a free program.  Free parking is available in the lot at the corner of Boulder Drive and Newton Place.  For information about this or other Library programs call 978-829-1780 or visit our website: www.FitchburgPublicLibrary.org.

The fourth annual Jazz and Friends National Day of School and Community Readings is sponsored by the Welcoming Schools Program at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, and the National Educational Association (NEA), the country’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3 million educators across the U.S.  This year, participants will have the option of reading from several books about transgender and non-binary youth of color, including Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love and They She He Me: Free to Be! by Maya and Matthew Smith Gonzalez.

The nationwide action is inspired by the more than 600 residents of tiny Mount Horeb, WI., who unequivocally rebuked bigotry and censorship in 2015, showing up at a public reading of I Am Jazz.  The reading was organized by a caring parent after legal threats by an anti-LGBTQ hate group forced a local school to cancel plans to support a transgender student by reading the book in class.

Days later, the Mount Horeb school board adopted inclusive measures fully accommodating transgender students.  Said one board member: “We will not be intimidated, and we will teach tolerance and will be accepting to everyone.”

The national reading effort is sponsored by HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program and the National Education Association (NEA).  It unites in action youth, educators, and allies across the country who are hosting readings of I Am Jazz in dozens of schools, churches, bookstores, homes, and community centers in states across the country.

HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is the nation’s premier resource for professional development tools, lessons and resources that help elementary schools across the nation  embrace family diversity, be LGBTQ-inclusive, prevent bias-based bullying and gender stereotyping, and support transgender and gender expansive students. HRC’s Welcoming Schools has created a guideto help organizers of I Am Jazz reading events build more affirming and supportive spaces for transgender and gender-expansive youth across the country.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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